Our beers keep having a bitter/metallic taste (also, they keep exploding)

[m0nkeybl1tz]

Well, technically only one exploded. Anyways, my buddy and I have been brewing for several months now, and we've made about 4 batches. Two have been pretty good, one was too foamy to even drink, and our first attempt at doing a partial mash turned out... odd. The problem is that even though we had two beers that turned out ok, they still had this really strong bitter aftertaste to them. Personally, I thought they were maybe just too hoppy, but my friend thinks they also have a metallic taste to them. Every beer we've made: Amber, Pale Ale, Stout, Wheat; they've all tasted quite bitter.

Also, they've all been incredibly foamy (including the one that was too foamy to drink). We've recently switched to kegging, so we're not sure how that'll affect it, but I was just wondering if you guys had any idea what we're doing wrong.

 

[JeffD1]

My guess would be an infection. That could cause the foaminess and the strange tastes. Try improving your sanitation. There could be also be an infection in any piece of your equipment, and from what I've read, it could be hard to get rid of.

Also maybe your water? But that's an area where my knowledge is limited. But maybe try using bottled water next time if your not already.

 

[RM-MN]

Tell us a bit more about your process. What temperature was the wort when you pitched the yeast, what temperature was the fermenter during the time it was fermenting, how long did you leave it before bottling? Did you make any modifications to the kit? Did you use a secondary? How big was each batch and how much priming sugar did you use?

 

[two_one_seven]

The foam and exploding issue is related to over carbing the beers. It is best to use a priming calculator to make sure you don't over or under carb. Kegging should fix that issue. My info would be good.

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

I am by far no expert. But I do recall reading that over carbing can cause a metallic bite to it. Due to the raises levels of carbonic acid. I believe. It's possible that this is the metallic/astringent flavor you are getting perhaps?

 

[Demus]

Probably a water issue; bad water makes bad beer. I'd start there. Get a report or get it tested...

 

[phuff7129]

Without knowing exactly what you are doing we are just guessing. One guess for the foaming and bottle bombs is incomplete fermentation. Another guess is over carbonation which could also come from incomplete fermentation.

Next guess would be water. Iron and manganese will definitely get you a metallic taste. The are pretty common and you will never make good beer if you don't know what's in your water.

I hope you are taking gravity readings post boil and post fermentation. That is the only way you can make sure fermentation. Is done.

Best way to fix your water is to buy distilled or RO water and make the adjustments recommended in the sticky thread about water chemistry in the brew science section of this website.

Any other insight into your process might help us to help you.

 

[BigRob]

If the metallic taste existed before kegging, it's not as likely that it's carbonic acid bite that's causing it, which is moreso a problem of fast-carbing methods during kegging than bottle conditioning.

If you're using any type of plastic equipment on the fermentation side of things, you might consider replacing it, and seeing if the foaming problems go away. Using any type of abrasive cleaning media on your plastics can cause scratches that harbour infection-causing bacteria. Beyond that, ensuring your Iodophor isnt expired, or your starsan is mixed at the right dilution (overall, take a serious look at your sanitation procedures).

 

[homebrewdad]

I had a gusher infection once. Uncapped bottles would foam until only a third of the beer was left. Beer had a metallic aftertaste. Not pleasant.

Turns out, I had some junk in my bottling bucket spigot. Make sure you disassemble it and, as well as the nut/washers that hold it on, if you are bottling. Check your lines, check your siphon, etc.

 

[m0nkeybl1tz]

Hey all, thanks for all your suggestions.

Just a little background about our process: We do 5 gallon batches. The first two we followed a kit exactly, the third we added oatmeal to the stout, and the 4th was a recipe-based partial mash wheat beer. We don't use a secondary, and leave the wort in the carboy until it's ready (usually around 3 weeks). I'd say temperature control is our main problem, since we're doing this all in a tiny apartment. It takes us a really long time to chill the wort, so we might be rushing it a little sometimes. Also, we live in Northern California, and since the temperature is usually pretty mild, we haven't really been keeping the carboy too cool (we usually just cover it with a sweatshirt).

It sounds like a lot of suggestions have to do with sanitation, which we definitely do, but maybe we should be paying extra attention to it. We do use a plastic bucket for bottling, so maybe it's something there, but we did have the same problem when we kegged it directly.

Another suggestion is water, and that definitely sounds like an easy thing for us to fix.

Yet another suggestion is overcarbing, and that's something I don't know anything about. When we've bottled, we've used the priming sugar that's come with the kits... maybe it's too much?

And, in terms of incomplete fermentation, taking gravity readings is another thing we need to be better about, but we've generally just erred on the safe side and let it sit an extra week or so after it's stopped bubbling. But again, we should probably be more careful about that.

Thanks again for all your suggestions!

 

[two_one_seven]

From what I get you are overcarbing your beer. You need to use a priming calculator. It will take into effect the temp of your beer and the amount of sugar need to reach a certain volume of CO2 appropriate for the style. Once this is addressed then you can take a look at other possible sources if the issue is still there.

ex: http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/